The Solemnity of Christ the King
We are celebrating the Feast of Christ the King under the shadows a very violent two weeks in the Holy Land. In two weeks more than two-hundred people have been killed in the latest fighting between Israel and Palestinian forces. This is a political conflict but this is also a religious conflict. Jesus was not immune from the very same kind of conflict and violence. As a child he had to flee into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. When he returned to Nazareth he grew up under the shadow of the conflict between the Romans invaders and the Jewish zealots. There were insurrections and the brutal suppression of any effort at Israelite independence. It is truly intriguing that in spite of the violence around him, Jesus became the kind of person that he was – non-violent, non-resistant, teaching love of enemies and finally forgiving his murderers from the cross. But that does not mean that he was weak. He was king and Messiah but his message was a message of humility, service and love. Two thousand years after Jesus death we know that no other man influenced the course of human history like he did.
1.The first thing for us to remember about this feast is that it was greatly inspired by world events. Pope Pius XI instituted this feast only in 1925. The I World War was just over and nine-million people had died in that war. However, the end of the war was not the beginning of peace to any extent. Dictators like Mussolini and Hitler could assume unbridled power because the people in Europe were the victims of rampant nationalism, fascism and ethnic divisions. Pius XI could envision that if nations did not curb their ambitions and desire for domination, it could lead to yet another more destructive war. By instituting this feast, the Pope was proposing another way to conduct world affairs. He wanted a very Christian Europe to turn its eyes to Christ who, even though had universal power and authority, exercised it in love and for service. The Pope’s call went unheeded. There was another World War and this time sixty million people were killed.
As we look at the world, what does the feast of Christ the king mean today? I think it means the rejection of the politics of domination. If our national election are any indication; if the Israel-Arab conflict is any indication; if the dignity we assign to human life is an indication; if the money the world spends on weapons is any indication; if the Christian-Muslim relationship is an indication; if gun-control laws are any indication; if the rich-poor divide is any indication; if we take all these things into consideration, I think we have a long way to go. It seems to me that since the I World War and the issues that Pope Pius XI was trying to address, we have not come much further. I think that the culture of domination must be replaced by the culture of dialogue – like Jesus did with Pilate.
2.This year, the reading for today’s feast is from the gospel of John. This is a small but important detail. The manner in which John portrays Jesus is very different from, for example, Mark’s portrayal of Jesus. If Mark brings out the more human side of Jesus, John brings out the more divine dimension of Jesus. In John, the arrest, trial and death of Jesus are not his weakest moments. Rather, Jesus maintains his power, dignity and divinity through the entire passion and even in his death. We see this at his trial before Pilate. Unlike other gospels, Jesus engages in a dialogue with Pilate and comes out looking stronger. In the midst of a very unjust trial and a bloody crucifixion, John’s Jesus is never out of control. For John, Jesus is the truth and Jesus is the undisputed king.
From John’s perspective, then, as Pilate was judging Jesus, in reality he was being judged by Jesus. Pilate would ask Jesus, “What is truth?” And that is the question for us too. “What is truth?” For me the truth is that “Blessed are the poor and the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of God is theirs. For me the truth of Jesus is that, “Blessed are the peace-makers; they will be called children of God.” For me the truth of Jesus is that, “Blessed are the meek; they will inherit the earth.” For me the truth of Jesus is that, “Blessed are those who are insulted and persecuted for the sake of righteousness; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The cross of Christ stands for what Christ proclaimed as the truth.
3.And then there is the third aspect of this feast – our personal relationship and commitment to Christ the king. If the cross of Christ proclaims and truth, then that truth has got to be your truth and mine as well. As much as this feast is about Christ the king, it is also an invitation to a way of life. It is invitation to live life that reflects the truth of Christ. It is an invitation to reject the culture of domination, of violence, of hatred, of control and of falsehood. It is an invitation to live life doing good deeds like Jesus, being in love and for service like Jesus, bringing reconciliation and peace like Jesus, of being compassionate and generous like Jesus, of embracing weakness and simplicity with faith in God like Jesus, and of total abandonment of our life into the hands of God like Jesus. May this feast lead us more closely to the truth and the Kingdom of Christ.
-Fr. Satish Joseph